D5 – Privilege parade

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025. Room 207 at Key Largo Inn. On m100.5 of the Overseas Heritage Trail (using the Startbucks pin on FarOut as a marker).

I woke naturally at 6 am. The hotel lobby coffee was not ready. I walk to the bakery. I got two guava and cheese pastries, a ham and cheese with onion on cuban bread breakfast sandwich, and a large coffee con leche. And, noting for fun, took a huge shit in their bathroom. Good lord, the last couple of days have been insane in the colon.

I study the map and things look difficult. 7-8 miles to end the Overseas Heritage Trail. Then, beginning the Eastern Continental Trail/Florida Trail Connecter where there is very limited water.

I can end the Overseas Heritage Trail at a Circle K and then it’s 28+ miles to water. A 28 mile carry out here is not great at all.

I get myself packed up. I feel tired and somewhat intimidated. Out at 745am.

At 845am, I stop at a Circle K to use the bathroom (you know, because counting shits is apparently a thing now).

The Overseas Heritage Trail is complete. By 1030am, I have purchased 4l of water at Circle K and filled the 2l I have. That gives me a 6l carry, which is a stupid amount of water.

I talk with a lifetime sailor Steve, 74 years old, about life on the move. He would never walk, I would never sail. Out at 1045am.

The stretch of highway north out from Key Largo was not great. Miserable 1 of 5. I get to the off ramp towards the boat ramp and the Southern Glades Trail at 200pm.

The bugs are in effect. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. The bugs get bad enough that I wear my bug net. I hate wearing it but if I’m going to carry something, probably I shouldn’t be shy about using it.

At about 430, I reach a lock that crosses me over the canal. I have hopes that the bugs won’t be so bad on the lock, and surprisingly, it’s true! I take a good long break. I still have 3l of water.

I make the mistake of using my phone while on break to look at hotel availability. Lol. I know, I know. I was just looking. And then I saw that there were multiple cheap hotels. And Lyft to town for $20. I did press the buttons. Great shame to me! Lol. What kind of hiker am I? Terrible.

I walk fast and happy as the sun goes down and the excuse for my trip into town comes to me in full force while walking: hella mosquitoes. Like wow. Makes the bugs during the day feel like a joke. My bugnet did a great job in the day, the bugs never seemed to want my legs, but these mosquitoes definitely wanted my legs.

Now, having a great reason to go into town, I walked with a passion! Lol. My Lyft arrived a couple of minutes after I made the road. Interestingly, I think he was drunk. Drove with his high beams on the entire trip. Never once came to a stop despite many stop signs and traffic lights. But, I arrive safely.

I admit that, after checking into the hotel, my visit to Texas Roadhouse had nothing to do with mosquitoes. I just wanted MEAT! Lol. I am the luckiest person in the world. I eat despite the horror of watching wait staff line dance in front of my table. There was only one woman in the group dancing for me, and looking at her, I could very clearly hear her telling me not to look at her. Lol. The part where I eat was good. The part where I was at fake cowboy Disney Land was bad; for them (her), I just sat there and looked like a lonely man thirty years older.

The hotel was indeed a dive. No towels. Okay, no problem, I just go and ask. I get a single towel, lol. There’s soap, and the water is hot, and I’m thrilled. SO LUCKY TO HAVE THE LIFE I DO.

Milage:

My hotel (this morning’s hotel, stop laughing) was at m100.5, and the Circle K, where I ended my time of the Overseas Heritage Trail, is m107.7, so that is 7.2 miles. I got my Lyft to the next hotel (yes, I know, it’s a parade of privilege) at the Ingram Highway CR9336. FarOut has it as m22.8. So that’s a flat 30 miles for the day.